


(un)conventional understanding

by were1993



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, conventional medicine vs traditional medicine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:54:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26388250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/were1993/pseuds/were1993
Summary: Dr Kim Mingyu is a medical doctor who doesn't believe in traditional remedies beyond it being a cultural thing. He's tricked into going to a traditional Chinese medicine conference, and he already hates it here.
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21
Collections: The Gyuhao Exhibit 2020: Snap Shoot





	(un)conventional understanding

Prologue: 生姜

\---

Heading up the steep mountain, the cart is rickety yet the driver charges forward fearlessly. Kim Mingyu isn’t quite as brave as he clutches the side rail with sweaty palms. They fly past the thin trees, dangling flowers, and fallen rock.

"No worry, I very good," the cart driver laughs, catching sight of Mingyu's panicked expression. Instead of slowing down, the driver plows forward on the mountain road with even more vigor. "I fast!"

Mingyu doesn't even trust himself to open his mouth and respond. The cart is shaking up and down so much that he's already bitten the inside of his cheek once. He'd rather not bite off his tongue in the middle of a forest with the closest civilization an hour away and 500 meters below him.

This was nothing like what they promised him. Lying preventative health people! Dr. Hong promised that their sister hospital in BaiQuan would provide the best lodging, the best food, and the best reception for this conference.

"It will be just like a vacation," Joshua Hong lied through his smiling lips. "Think of it as a mountain getaway instead of doing me a favor."

Instead, Mingyu arrived at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport clueless and stressed. He didn't know who was picking him up, where he was supposed to go, or what he was even looking for. Mingyu tried flexing his elementary Chinese to some help desk employees, even showing them his conference invite, and had received kind but confused head tilts back.

Giving up, Mingyu finally reached for his phone and found 10 missed calls from this green app icon. He hadn't realized that he was actually supposed to check this UsChat messaging app or whatever it's called. Thankfully, Mingyu managed to connect with the driver after a couple more awkward messages in English— _you here, yes I am, where you, help desk, where, help desk, where, wait where are you, car park, okay I go to you_.

He boarded the sketchy looking van, sweating from strange places and hoping he wasn't boarding a van to his death. Mingyu knew he was being dramatic, but the entire trip didn't start off great. Thankfully, the van ride was pleasant--cold air blasting through the vents while the sun beat down through the windows and the scenes of a busy city lulling him into a doze.

Thinking this van would be the last vehicle he would have to ride, Mingyu had been completely shocked to be kicked off the van and introduced to the rickety metal cart that would take him up the mountain.

"You already late," his van driver had said, pointing to the top of the mountain. “Fastest way.”

And as he grips the railings even harder, Mingyu realizes the van driver never said this was the _safest_ way.

Speeding past the trees, Mingyu is very aware of the steep slope down the edge of the road and how close the cart driver was toeing that line with his wheels. The _rawr-I’m-a-man_ side of him demands that he keeps his eyes open, but the _shit-I’m-terrified-of-heights_ side of him requested oh so gently for him to close his eyes to the horror.

So Mingyu closes his eyes and clings to the rattling cart, trying not to jump when he feels things hit him—are they leaves, branches, or just the wind? Mingyu refuses to open his eyes to find out.

He’s not sure how much time passes, but he feels the cart slow down and eventually come to a halt.

“Here,” the cart driver says in amusement. “You here.”

“…thank you,” Mingyu answers, opening his eyes cautiously. He tries to prepare himself for the sight of a zip line or something inane that would take him to the conference site. Mingyu is happily surprised when he sees a modest-looking hotel with a large banner welcoming conference-goers. “Thank you!”

He clamors out of the cart only for his good mood to take a sudden turn. Mingyu stares at the conference banner and resists the urge to scream.

_The 25 th Traditional Chinese Medicine Summit_

Of course, those lying preventative health people!

\---

Kim Mingyu chose to go into medicine for the same reason most of his colleagues did—money.

Just kidding! Sheesh! Mingyu doesn’t look down on his colleague who did though. It’s a hard journey to become a medical doctor, and honestly, as long as they’re providing the best care to their patients, their motivations are not something Mingyu can really judge.

Mingyu went into medicine because his mother got very sick when he was a child, and he never forgot the stress of visiting her in the hospital, praying one of these men in white lab coats would save her.

And he may or may not have a bit of a distaste for so-called traditional medicine because of it. During the early stages of her illness, his mom went to many traditional medicine doctors, and none of them made her better. In fact, Mingyu’s dad often curses that those quacks made his mother’s condition so much worse.

Going to medical school merely taught Mingyu more of how unscientific and strange traditional medicine can be.

Does drinking red ginseng supplements really help with your health? Maybe, not enough research to prove any kind of treatment value. Mingyu doesn’t really mind when his patients take these traditional remedies—as long as they let him know beforehand—since it’s a cultural thing.

He accepts it having cultural value and respects the people who want to further the culture. But it’s not medicine. Hell no. Boiling twigs into some soup doesn’t make it medicine.

“You’re just uneducated,” Yoon Jeonghan, a preventative health doctor, said to him after Mingyu went on a slight tirade in the breakroom. “I hate doctors who forget the basis of medicine and the pharmaceutics they use.”

After that, Mingyu spent a good four years at odds with Jeonghan and the rest of the preventative health department. It wasn’t until they had an odd cross-department drinking night that Mingyu and Jeonghan finally yelled each other into acceptance.

Dr. Joshua Hong had always been okay though. He came from a traditional medicine family, but he was mostly agreeable to conventional medical diagnostics and treatments.

Now, Mingyu is really reconsidering everything. Administration always said that Dr. Yoon and Dr. Hong were the devil twins, and Mingyu is starting to understand how Joshua Hong fit into that.

“Hyung, you _knew_ I didn’t like anything having to do with traditional medicine!” Mingyu whisper yells into the phone. He looks around to make sure no one else is here—he’d rather not offend every single person in this conference before lunch time. “Why would you send me to a conference about traditional medicine?”

“ _I knew you didn’t like traditional Korean medicine so I thought that—_ ” Joshua says, starting off with melodic laughter.

“Having it be traditional _Chinese_ medicine doesn’t make it better!” Mingyu continues to whisper yell. “The nationality isn’t the issue!”

“ _It might be a learning experience—_ ”

“I’m going to be learning a whole bunch of hocus pocus, and what can I really learn from people who think they can diagnose things from looking at someone’s _ear_ —”

“ _Well, I would say that there’s always something to learn from anyone—_ ”

“Why would I even want to listen to them propagating false information and how they deny their patients proper medical care,” Mingyu continues. His voice is getting louder, but he doesn’t really care. “I don’t—”

“ _Dr. Kim, you are a medical professional representing our hospital and my department_ ,” Joshua says firmly in his doctor voice, and Mingyu shuts up immediately. “ _I honestly don’t care what your personal view on traditional anything medicine is, but when you are at this conference, you will respect my fellow peers because that is what educated professionals do. Do you understand?_ ”

“…yes,” Mingyu mumbles.

“ _Dr. Kim?_ ”

“Yes, I understand Dr. Hong,” Mingyu says louder. His shoulders slump down in shame.

“ _Mingyu-ah, I really meant for this to be a vacation for you_ ,” Joshua admits after a pause. “ _The mountains are beautiful to hike and the air quality is amazing. If the conference is still held at the hotel they did in previous year, the food will be amazing and the room will be more lavish than your bachelor pad._ ” 

“Hey, my bachelor pad is amazing,” Mingyu retorts feebly.

“ _Just enjoy yourself Mingyu_ ,” Joshua says. His voice gets a little distance as he answers someone else’s question. “ _I have to go, but I asked a couple of friends to take care of you. Give them my best._ ”

“Who are your friends?” Mingyu asks, but the dial tone responds to him in monotone beeps. “Ah. I guess even if I hate traditional medicine, I should try to just enjoy the conference!”

Mingyu gives himself a little fist pump before turning towards the hotel entrance. He does so too fast and runs headfirst into someone, knocking them onto the floor. 

“Oh, sorry, I uh,” Mingyu stutters, holding out a hand to help the other up.

“Don’t bother,” the stranger says, glaring up at Mingyu. Mingyu is startled at the Korean. “What was Joshua-hyung thinking, sending a conventional medicine elitist anyway?”

“Huh?”

“I’m not a stranger to idiots,” the stranger sighs, standing up and brushing off his pants. The man is thin and tall, but there’s an aura of confidence and sureness to his gaze. “But if you hate traditional medicine purely because of your Western medicine training, that’s just sad.”

“Wait, I didn’t say—”

“Oh yes, you said that you don’t want to hear us propagating false information and how we deny our patients proper medical care,” the stranger says deadpan, and Mingyu doesn’t know how to respond. “Just don’t be rude to the speakers. We actually have really great presenters this year and I’d hate for ignorance to be the theme of our conference this year.”

Mingyu feels the heat warming his cheeks. He’s a fucking professional. He’s not going to—

“Go enjoy the hotel amenities or something,” the stranger continues. His eyes sharp and unyielding. “There’s no helping those who are ignorant by choice.”

“Why you—!” Mingyu begins, but he’s interrupted by a call of his name. Mingyu turns to see a young man with strong facials features jog towards him.

“Dr. Kim Mingyu? Is that you? Why haven’t you checked in yet?” the young man asks in Korean. Mingyu blinks down at him. “Oh, sorry, I’m Hansol. You can call me Vernon or Hansol or Dr. Chwe—actually, please don’t call me that, just Hansol is fine. Joshua-hyung told me to help you with anything you needed.”

“Well, who’s _this_ character—?” Mingyu asks, pointing an accusing finger at—at absolutely no one. The stranger is gone.

“Who?” Hansol asks.

“Uh, never mind,” Mingyu says with a questioning tone. “I was here with someone…”

“Like a ghost?”

“What? No, ghosts don’t appear in broad daylight!” Mingyu yelps, whipping back to stare at the other man. “This isn’t a haunted hotel or anything is it? Haunted by the ghost of traditional Chinese medicine?”

“Ghost of what?” Hansol echoes. He laughs loud and hearty. “Oh no, this place isn’t haunted. If you were talking to someone, you’ll see them sooner than later. It’s not a super huge conference and everyone knows each other. Let’s go get you checked in so we can go grab lunch.”

Mingyu doesn’t immediately follow Hansol and stares at the spot where the stranger had stood. Who was this guy? He spots a clip-on badge face down on the ground and hesitates.

“Dr. Kim?”

“Coming!” he responds. Mingyu grabs the badge and tucks it in his pocket. He doesn’t know how to read the Chinese characters on it but figures he’ll ask Hansol later.

徐明浩, 中医医师

_Xu Minghao, Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor_

\---

生姜 (raw ginger) - good for dispersing wind-cold common colds, cold stomach induced nausea and vomiting, cold lung induced coughing

Biomedical terms: May help with symptoms of the common cold, eases nausea

Ginger + brown sugar tea may also help with menstrual cramps. 

\---

**Author's Note:**

> ABOVE INFORMATION is merely for educational purposes and should never be used in place of medical care. Please do not treat traditional remedies like nutritional supplements or vitamins. They are meant to be practiced like medicine by licensed professionals and while there is knowledge of common remedies amongst the general public, illnesses should always be seen by a medical professional.
> 
> Please please please do not delay medical care by trying out traditional remedies if you or whomever you are seeing is not a licensed naturalist/herbalist. 
> 
> ....this will be very niche. LMAO


End file.
